Expert: Ali - 8/27/2008

Question
My cat just had her first litter! Yay I'm sooo happy!! But I was wondering how she should be acting, my cat wants me like next to her. She wants attention and love from me very badly!! She is being an awesome mom so far, but when I leave the room she comes to me and wants me to follow her back to the kittens. Is this normal because I was reading online and somewhere said that cats usually don't want to be around anyone, I'm just hoping there isn't anything wrong with her!!

Thank you,
Sara

Answer
Sara,

Sometimes a clingy insecure mom is just anxious. Other times this is an indication of a medical issue. It's best to have the new family (mom and babies must stay together) visit the vet. The vet could potentially find issues ranging from a kitten that is still stuck in the birth canal to a deficiency of calcium/magnesium called eclampsia either of which could prove fatal if left untreated. The treatment for a kitten lodged in the birth canal is to perform a caesarian section, my recommendation would be to have mom spayed at the same time if this is the case. If mom seems anxious or is walking with a stiff gait then she may need an injection of calcium/magnesium along with careful medical monitoring to ensure that all remains under control. In the absence of any medical issues found during the post-partum medical treatment it's important to realize that the typical stereotype that a cat doesn't want to be around people after giving birth isn't necessarily true. If your cat was close to you and had a strong bond prior to giving birth she could react one of two ways after giving birth, she may decide that she wants to raise her kittens on her own and discourage handling of them or she may decide to leave the kittens with their human babysitter for a short time while she uses the toilet or eats.

Normal behavior immediately post-partum is for mom to stick close by the kittens as newborn kittens eat and sleep for the most part and they depend heavily on their mom for food, warmth, comfort and protection. Keep an eye on the kittens, if they seem to be squirmy and vocal it's probably best to ensure that your vet examines the mom and her little ones to ensure that they are receiving adequate nutrition. If mom has an infection in her mammary glands called mastitis or she isn't producing enough milk to feed all of her kittens you may have to hand rear the kittens or provide supplemental feedings of a kitten milk replacer, it's important that you don't do this without the recommendation of your vet as hand reared kittens have their own unique issues. Mom should be eating as much of a good quality kitten food as she likes and she needs to have a constant supply of clean, fresh drinking water. It's a good idea to have mom's litter box close to where the kittens are so that mom can keep an eye on her babies and use the toilet.

It's important for you to realize that there is a serious pet overpopulation problem worldwide. The estimates vary but one unspayed female cat and her descendants can produce in the area of 30,000+ cats in the space of 5 years or so. Millions of healthy, adoptable cats and kittens are destroyed annually in shelters simply because time has run out or there isn't enough space to house them. The decision to breed your pet must be thought over long and hard because of the numbers of perfect pets that are abandoned or destroyed annually. In North America only 3% of cats and kittens admitted to animal shelters are reclaimed by their owners. It is heartbreaking that so many people view cats as "disposable" pets. The best way to combat the issues related to overpopulation is to spay and neuter your cat. Spaying and neutering has many positive effects aside from the obvious benefit of population control. Cats that have been spayed and neutered are less likely to develop significant behavioral issues that often result in owners opting for euthanasia of their cat. These behaviors include urinating or defecating outside of the litterbox to mark their territory, fighting, aggressive behavior designed to defend their territory, wandering far from home and caterwauling/howling to advertise their availability to mate. Spayed and neutered cats enjoy reduced rates of prostate or mammary cancers. Testicular, ovarian, uterine cancers are prevented by spaying and neutering. A female cat that has been spayed avoids a uterine infection called pyometra which is  potentially life threatening. A neutered male cat is less likely to require treatment of abscesses that are caused by fighting. Neutering also lowers the risk that a male cat will contract serious chronic viral infections spread by coming into contact with an infected cat's body fluids like feline leukemia or FIV which are somewhat similar to HIV and AIDS in people. Spaying and neutering saves countless lives each year. If you enjoy caring for moms with kittens or orphaned kittens you may want to consider volunteering at your local SPCA or Humane Society.